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Horgan to miss meeting of Canadian premiers

The 2017 summer Council of the Federation meeting is being held in Edmonton on July 18 and 19

John Horgan is due to be sworn at the Legislature in Victoria on Tuesday

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – British Columbia’s premier-designate is missing important talks on NAFTA and softwood lumber with Canada’s premiers, because he hasn’t been sworn in yet.

The 2017 summer Council of the Federation meeting is being held in Edmonton from July 18-19. Premiers will discuss Canada-US relations, global trade, cannabis and opioids, among other topics.

But John Horgan is due to be sworn at the Legislature in Victoria tomorrow.

Political scientist Hamish Telford, with the University of the Fraser Valley, says it’s reasonable for Horgan to not be at the meeting.

“He can’t go unless he is the premier, and that doesn’t happen until tomorrow.”

The timing of Horgan’s swearing-in ceremony was apparently due to the Lieutenant Governor’s schedule.

But Telford says while it would have been useful if Horgan could have made it, his presence is not critical.

“It’s also the case that premiers frequently miss this summer meeting when they have to deal with natural disasters. And of course, that’s going to be the first thing on Premier Horgan’s plate when he’s sworn in, is the wildfire situation in much of the interior of the province,” Telford says.